Remote control apparatus and portable communication terminal

ABSTRACT

A portable communication terminal having a remote control apparatus includes a CPU. The CPU detects electronic appliances around there by a wireless tag reader, displays a plurality of characters respectively corresponding to the detected plurality of appliances on the monitor, transmits test signals to these appliance, and changes a manner of the character of the appliance except for the appliance which responds, that is, the appliance which is in an off-state. Furthermore, the CPU detects identification information of a base station which is able to communicate with the terminal, registers the identification information detected under a desired location condition in the register, and determining whether or not a match condition is satisfied between detected identification information and the identification information which has been registered. Then, if the determination result is affirmative, the electronic appliance around there is detected by the wireless tag reader, and an operation screen for remotely controlling the detected appliance on a monitor is displayed.

CROSS REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATION

The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-300835 andJapanese Patent Application No. 2005-300836 are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to remote control apparatuses and portablecommunication terminals. More specifically, the present inventionrelates to a remote control apparatus which remotely controls electronicappliances like a television, an air conditioning, etc., and a portablecommunication terminal endowed with such a remote control function.

2. Description of the Related Art

As an example of such a kind of conventional remote control apparatus,one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-open No. 2005-244676 (PatentDocument 1) is known. The related art displays a plurality of boundingboxes (tab) respectively corresponding to a plurality of electronicappliances to be remotely controlled. In each of the plurality of tabs,letters indicative of a name of the electronic appliance correspondingto the tab are described. With reference to the plurality of tabs thusdisplayed, it is possible to select a desired appliance out of theplurality of electronic appliances.

However, most of the electronic appliances to be operated by remotecontrol like a television, an air conditioning do not accept a remotecontrol operation unless at least main power supply is turned on (in anon state or a standby state). Accordingly, all the plurality ofelectronic appliances to be remotely controlled is not always in aremote controllable state.

However, in the related art of Patent Document 1, the plurality of tabsare displayed irrespective of a state of individual electronicappliance, and therefore, a useless remote control operation to anappliance in an uncontrollable state may forcedly be done.

Furthermore as an example of such a kind of conventional portablecommunication terminal, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-open No.2003-78977 (Patent Document 2) is known. The related art has a pluralityof buttons respectively corresponding to a plurality of electronicappliances, and stores a plurality of remote control codes respectivelycorresponding to the plurality of electronic appliances in a memory.When a button corresponding to a desired electronic appliance out of theplurality of buttons is pushed, a remote control code corresponding tothe electronic appliance is read from the memory, and infrared rayscorresponding to the read remote control code is sent. Thus, it ispossible to remotely control the desired electronic appliance with theportable communication terminal.

However, in the related art of Patent Document 2, only the electronicappliance registered in advance can be remotely controlled while any ofthe registered appliances can remotely control electronic applianceswith ease at even other's house.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide anovel remote control apparatus and a novel portable communicationterminal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a remote controlapparatus capable of accurately remotely controlling electronicappliances around there.

The other object of the present invention is to provide a portablecommunication terminal which is able to remotely control electronicappliances existing under a desired location condition.

A remote control apparatus in accordance with a first inventioncomprises a first detector (S47) for detecting an electronic appliance(50, 80, 82, . . . ) having a wireless tag (66) by communicating withthe wireless tag, a creator (S53) for creating a control signal adaptingto the electronic appliance detected by the first detector, a firsttransmitter (S57) for repeatedly transmitting the control signal createdby the creator to a processor of the electronic appliance detected bythe first detector, a second detector (S59) for detecting an electronicappliance responding to the control signal transmitted by the firsttransmitter, and a display (S63) for displaying an operation screen toremotely control the electronic appliance detected by the seconddetector.

An electronic appliance having a wireless tag is detected by a firstdetector which communicates with the wireless tag. A control signaladapting the electronic appliance detected by the first detector iscreated by a creator. A first transmitter repeatedly sends the controlsignal created by the creator to a processor of the electronic appliancedetected by the first detector. An electronic appliance responding tothe control signal transmitted by the first transmitter is detected by asecond detector. A display displays an operation screen to remotelycontrol the electronic appliance detected by the second detector.

If the electronic appliance is in an off state, a communication with theprocessor of the electronic appliance is impossible. On the contrarythereto, a communication with a wireless tag provided to the electronicappliance is possible when the electronic appliance is in an off state.Here, in the first invention, an electronic appliance is first detectedby communicating with a wireless tag, and a control signal adapting tothe detected electronic appliance is generated.

The created control signal is transmitted to the processor of thedetected electronic appliance, which allows detection of the electronicappliance in an on state or a standby state. The operation screen to bedisplayed by the display is a screen to remotely control the electronicappliance in an on state or a standby state. By means of such anoperation screen, it is possible to remotely control an electronicappliance existing around there with precision.

It is preferable that the operation screen includes a plurality ofcharacters respectively corresponding to a plurality of electronicappliances detected by the first detector. The remote control apparatusfurther comprises a first changer (S61) for changing a display manner ofthe character corresponding to the appliance except for the appliancedetected by the second detector out of the plurality of charactersincluded in the operation screen.

The first changer changes a display manner of the charactercorresponding to the appliance except for the appliance detected by thesecond detector out of the plurality of characters included in theoperation screen.

The display manner of the character corresponding to the electronicappliance which is in an off state out of the plurality of charactersincluded in the operation screen is changed, which allows an operator tovisually recognize which one is remotely controllable out of theelectronic appliance existing around there.

More preferably, the remote control apparatus further comprises a secondtransmitter (S85), when accepting an operation directed to a desiredcharacter included in the operation screen, for transmitting a controlsignal according to the operation to an appliance corresponding to thedesired character, a determiner (S69, S71) for determining the presenceor absence of a response to the control signal transmitted by the secondtransmitter, and a second changer (S73) for changing a display manner ofa character corresponding to the desired electronic appliance when it isdetermined to be no response.

When an operation performed on a desired character within the operationscreen is accepted, a control signal in response to the operation istransmitted to an electronic appliance corresponding to the desiredcharacter by a second transmitter. The presence or absence of a responseto the control signal transmitted by the second transmitter isdetermined by a determiner. When the determiner determines no response,a second changer changes a display manner of the character correspondingto the desired electronic appliance.

Every time that a control signal is transmitted to a desired electronicappliance in response to an operation performed on the operation screen,a presence or absence of a response to the control signal is determined,and when it is determined to be no response, a displaying state of thecharacter corresponding to the desired electronic appliance is changed.Thus, when the electronic appliance shifts from a controllable state toa non controllable state, the operator can confirm it instantaneously.

It is preferable that the remote control apparatus further comprises alocation detector (S1) for detecting location information indicative ofits own present location, a register (S45) for registering the locationinformation detected by the location detector under a desired locationcondition; and a determiner (S13) for determining whether or not a matchcondition is satisfied between the location information detected by thelocation detector after completion of the registering process by theregister and the location information registered in the register, andthe appliance detector executes detection processing when adetermination result by the determiner is affirmative.

The location information indicative of the present location of theremote control apparatus is detected by a location detector. Thelocation information detected by a location detector under the desiredlocation condition is registered by a register. A determiner determineswhether or not a match condition is satisfied between the locationinformation detected by the location detector after completion of theregistering process by the register and the location informationregistered in the register. If the determination result is affirmative,an electronic appliance existing around there is detected by anappliance detector. An operation screen for remotely controlling theelectronic appliance detected by the appliance detector is displayed bya display.

That is, the operation screen for remotely controlling an electronicappliance in an on state or a standby state around the remote controlapparatus is displayed when the identification information detected bythe information detector and the identification information which hasbeen registered in the register satisfy with each other. Since theregister registers the identification information detected under thedesired location condition, the operation screen is displayed when theremote control apparatus exists under the desired location condition.Thus, it is possible to remotely control the electronic appliance in anon state or a standby state existing under a desired location conditionby means of the remote control apparatus.

It is more preferable that a remote control apparatus further comprisesa communicator (14) for executing communication processing with a basestation, and the location detector detects identification information ofa base station (ST1, ST2, . . . ) which is able to be communicated bythe communicator as the location information.

The identification information of a base station which is able to becommunicated by a communicator is detected as location information.

In one embodiment, the base station repeatedly sends a PN (Pseudo Noise)signal, and the location detector notes the PN signal sent from the basestation.

A plurality of PN signals which is respectively transmitted from aplurality of base stations have frequencies different from each other.By noting such a PN signal, it is possible to identify a base stationwhich is able to be communicated.

In another embodiment, the base station repeatedly sends anidentification signal including the identification information of thebase station, and the location detector notes the identification signalsent from the base station. Typically, the base station is a wirelessLAN (Local Area Network) access point. In this case, an identificationsignal is only necessary to be a signal including information capable ofidentifying a predetermined base station, such as an MAC (Media AccessControl) address assigned to the wireless LAN access point, an IP(Internet Protocol) address, a SSID (Service Set Identifier), etc.

An appliance control program in accordance with the first inventioncauses a processor (26) of a remote control apparatus (10) to executefollowing steps of a first detecting step (S47) for detecting anelectronic appliance (50, 80, 82, . . . ) having a wireless tag (66) bycommunicating with the wireless tag, a creating step (S53) for creatinga control signal adapting to the electronic appliance detected by thefirst detecting step, a first transmitting step (S57) for repeatedlytransmitting the control signal created by the creating step to aprocessor (60) of the electronic appliance detected by the firstdetecting step, a second detecting step (S59) for detecting anelectronic appliance responding to the control signal transmitted by thefirst transmitting step, and a displaying step (S63) for displaying anoperation screen to remotely control the electronic appliance detectedby the second detecting step.

An appliance controlling method of a remote control apparatus (10) inaccordance with the first invention comprises a first detecting step(S47) for detecting an electronic appliance (50, 80, 82, . . . ) havinga wireless tag by communicating with the wireless tag (66), a creatingstep (S53) for creating a control signal adapting to the electronicappliance detected by the first detecting step, a first transmittingstep (S57) for repeatedly transmitting the control signal created by thecreating step to a processor (60) of the electronic appliance detectedby the first detecting step, a second detecting step (S59) for detectingan electronic appliance responding to the control signal transmitted bythe first transmitting step, and a displaying step (S63) for displayingan operation screen to remotely control the electronic appliancedetected by the second detecting step.

A portable communication terminal in accordance with a second inventioncomprises a communicator (14) for executing communication processingwith a base station (ST1, ST2, . . . ), an information detector fordetecting identification information of a base station which is able tobe communicated by the communicator, a register (S45) for registeringthe identification information detected by the information detectorunder a desired location condition, a determiner (S13) for determiningwhether or not a match condition is satisfied between the identificationinformation detected by the information detector after completion ofregistering processing by the register and the identificationinformation registered by the register, an appliance detector (S55-S61)for detecting an electronic appliance (50, 80, 82, . . . ) existingaround there when a determination result by the determiner isaffirmative, and a display (S63) for displaying an operation screen toremotely control the electronic appliance detected by the appliancedetector.

The communication processing with a base station is performed by acommunicator. The identification information of a base station which isable to be communicated by the communicator is detected by aninformation detector. The identification information detected by theinformation detector under a desired location condition is registered bya register. A determiner determines whether or not a match condition issatisfied between the identification information detected by theinformation detector after completion of registering processing by theregister and the identification information registered by the register.If the determination result is affirmative, an electronic applianceexisting around there is detected by an appliance detector. An operationscreen for remotely controlling the electronic appliance detected by theappliance detector is displayed by a display.

That is, an operation screen for remotely controlling an electronicappliance existing around the portable communication terminal isdisplayed when a match condition is satisfied between the identificationinformation detected by the information detector and the identificationinformation which has already been registered. Since the registerregisters the identification information registered under a desiredlocation condition, the operation screen can be displayed when theportable communication terminal exists under the desired locationcondition. Thus, it is possible to remotely control the electronicappliance existing under the desired location condition by a portablecommunication terminal.

In one embodiment, the base station repeatedly sends a PN (Pseudo Noise)signal, and the information detector notes the PN signal sent from thebase station.

A plurality of PN signals which are respectively transmitted from aplurality of base stations have frequencies different from each other.By noting such a PN signal, it is possible to identify a base stationwhich is able to be communicated.

In another embodiment, the base station repeatedly sends anidentification signal including the identification information of thebase station, and the location detector notes the identification signalsent from the base station. Typically, the base station is a wirelessLAN (Local Area Network) access point. In this case, an identificationsignal is only necessary to be a signal including information capable ofidentifying a predetermined base station, such as an MAC addressassigned to a wireless LAN access point, an IP address, a SSID, etc.

It is preferable that the electronic appliance has a wireless tag (66)storing appliance identification information, and the appliance detectorincludes a reader (32) for reading the appliance identificationinformation stored in the wireless tag.

The electronic appliance includes a wireless tag for storing applianceidentification information, and the appliance detector can detect anelectronic appliance around there by reading appliance identificationinformation stored in the wireless tag by a reader.

It is preferable that a portable communication terminal furthercomprises a creator (S53) for creating a control signal adapting to theelectronic appliance detected by the appliance detector, a transmitter(S57) for transmitting the control signal created by the creator to aprocessor of the electronic appliance detected by the appliancedetector, an responding appliance detector (S59) for detecting anelectronic appliance responding to the control signal transmitted by thetransmitter, and the display changes a display manner of the operationscreen according to a detection result of the responding appliancedetector.

A control signal adapting to the electronic appliance detected by theappliance detector is created by a creator. A transmitter transmits thecontrol signal created by the creator to a processor of the electronicappliance detected by the appliance detector. An electronic applianceresponding to the control signal transmitted by the transmitter isdetected by a responding appliance detector. The display changes adisplay manner of the operation screen according to a detection resultof the responding appliance detector.

The control signal adapting to the detected electronic appliance iscreated, and the created control signal is transmitted to a processor ofthe detected electronic appliance. This makes it possible to detect theelectronic appliance in an on state or a standby state. The operationscreen displayed by the display is a screen for remotely controlling anon state or a standby state of the electronic appliance. By such anoperation screen, it is possible to remotely control an electronicappliance around there with precision.

It should be noted that if the electronic appliance is in an off state,a communication with the processor of the electronic appliance isimpossible, but a communication with a wireless tag provided to theelectronic appliance is possible even when the electronic appliance isin an off state. Here, an electronic appliance is first detected by acommunication with a wireless tag, a control signal adapting to thedetected electronic appliance is generated, and the generated controlsignal is transmitted to a processor of the detected electronicappliance. Thus, by detecting an electronic appliance in an off state, acontrol signal is transmitted to a processor of the electronic applianceeven in an off state, and whereby, it is possible to remotely controlthe electronic appliance with precision when the electronic appliancechanges from the off state to the on state.

It is preferable that the transmitter repeatedly sends the controlsignal.

By repeatedly transmitting a control signal, it is possible tocorrespond to a change of a state of the electronic appliance.

More preferably, the portable communication terminal further comprisesan acquirer (S51) for acquiring appliance control information toremotely control an electronic appliance detected by the appliancedetector by utilizing the communicator, and the creator creates thecontrol signal on the basis of the appliance control informationacquired by the acquirer.

The appliance control information to remotely control an electronicappliance detected by the appliance detector is acquired by an acquirer.A creator creates the control signal on the basis of the appliancecontrol information acquired by the acquirer.

By acquiring the appliance control information by utilizing thecommunicator, it is possible to also remotely control an electronicappliance except for the appliance registered in advance.

An appliance control program of a portable communication terminal inaccordance with the second invention causes a processor (26) of aportable communication terminal (10) having a communicator (14) forexecuting communication processing with a base station (ST1, ST2, . . .) to execute an information detecting step (S1) for detectingidentification information of a base station which is able to becommunicated by the communicator, a registering step (S45) forregistering the identification information detected by the informationdetecting step under a desired location condition, a determining step(S13) for determining whether or not a match condition is satisfiedbetween the identification information detected by the informationdetecting step after completion of registering processing by theregistering step and the identification information registered by theregistering step, an appliance detecting step (S55-S61) for detecting anelectronic appliance existing around there when a determination resultby the determining step is affirmative, and a displaying step (S63) fordisplaying an operation screen to remotely control the electronicappliance detected by the appliance detecting step.

An appliance controlling method in accordance with the second inventionis an appliance controlling method of a portable communication terminal(10) having a communicator (14) to perform communication processing witha base station (ST1, ST2, . . . ), comprises an information detectingstep (S1) for detecting identification information of a base stationwhich is able to be communicated by the communicator, a registering step(S45) for registering the identification information detected by theinformation detecting step under a desired location condition, adetermining step (S13) for determining whether or not a match conditionis satisfied between the identification information detected by theinformation detecting step after completion of registering processing bythe registering step and the identification information registered bythe registering step, an appliance detecting step (S55-S61) fordetecting an electronic appliance existing around there when adetermination result by the determining step is affirmative, and adisplaying step (S63) for displaying an operation screen to remotelycontrol the electronic appliance detected by the appliance detectingstep.

According to the first invention, it is possible to accurately remotelycontrol an electronic appliance around there.

According to the second invention, it is possible to accurately remotelycontrol the electronic appliance under the desired location conditionwith the portable communication terminal.

The above described objects and other objects, features, aspects andadvantages of the present invention will become more apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the present invention when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of one embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an appliancecontrolled by FIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an illustrative view showing a PN value registered in FIG. 1embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an illustrative view showing one example of an area in FIG. 1embodiment;

FIG. 5 (A) is an illustrative view showing one example of PN informationdetected in FIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 5 (B) is an illustrative view showing another example of the PNinformation detected in FIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 6 (A) is an illustrative view showing electronic appliancesexisting at an own house within the area shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 (B) is an illustrative view showing electronic appliances at afriend's house within the area shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 (A) is an illustrative view showing one example of a screen to bedisplayed by FIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 7 (B) is an illustrative view showing another example of a screento be displayed by FIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 8 is an illustrative view showing one example of an appliance listheld by FIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 9 (A) is an illustrative view showing the other example of a screento be displayed by FIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 9 (B) is an illustrative view showing a further example of a screento be displayed by FIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a part of a CPU operation in FIG. 1embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing another part of the CPU operation in FIG.1 embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the other part of the CPU operation inFIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a further part of the CPU operation inFIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing another part of the CPU operation in FIG.1 embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a part of a CPU operation of theappliance shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a configuration of another embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the appliancecontrolled by

FIG. 16 embodiment;

FIG. 18 is an illustrative view showing a PN value registered in FIG. 16embodiment;

FIG. 19 is an illustrative view showing one example of an area shown inFIG. 16 embodiment;

FIG. 20 (A) is an illustrative view showing one example of PNinformation detected in FIG. 16 embodiment;

FIG. 20 (B) is an illustrative view showing another example of the PNinformation detected in FIG. 16 embodiment;

FIG. 21 (A) is an illustrative view showing electronic appliances at anown house within the area shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 (B) is an illustrative view showing electronic appliances at afriend's house within the area shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 22 (A) is an illustrative view showing one example of a screen tobe displayed by FIG. 16 embodiment;

FIG. 22 (B) is an illustrative view showing another example of a screento be displayed by FIG. 16 embodiment;

FIG. 23 is an illustrative view showing one example of an appliance listheld in FIG. 16 embodiment;

FIG. 24 (A) is an illustrative view showing the other example of ascreen to be displayed by FIG. 16 embodiment;

FIG. 24 (B) is an illustrative view showing a further example of ascreen to be displayed by FIG. 16 embodiment;

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing a part of a CPU operation in FIG. 16embodiment;

FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing another part of the CPU operation in FIG.16 embodiment;

FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing the other part of the CPU operation inFIG. 16 embodiment;

FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing a further part of the CPU operation inFIG. 16 embodiment;

FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing another part of the CPU operation in FIG.16 embodiment; and

FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing a part of the CPU operation of theappliance in FIG. 17.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, a portable communication terminal 10 in accordancewith the present embodiment includes a telephone processing circuit 14which realizes a telephone call function in cooperation with a mobilecommunication system. Additionally, as long as a power source is turnedon, the telephone call function is in an activated state. When a dialingoperation is made by a calling operation panel 36, a CPU 26 instructsthe telephone processing circuit 14 to perform a calling processing. Thetelephone processing circuit 14 executes a calling processing to therebytransmit a calling signal to a desired intended party. By the start ofthe calling processing, the portable communication terminal 10 shiftsfrom a state in which a telephone communication is impossible to a statein which a telephone communication is tried.

On the other hand, if a calling signal is received through an antenna12, the telephone processing circuit 14 generates a sound message fornotifying an incoming call. By the start of such an incoming callnotification processing, the portable communication terminal 10 shiftsfrom the state in which a telephone communication is impossible to thestate in which a telephone communication is tried. The generated soundmessage is output from a speaker 20 via an amplifier 18.

If an off-hook operation is not performed in response to the incomingcall notification, a connection for telephone communication fails. Theportable communication terminal 10 is returned from the state in which atelephone communication is tried to the state in which a telephonecommunication is impossible. On the other hand, if a hook operation isperformed in response to the incoming call notification, a connectionfor telephone communication succeeds. The portable communicationterminal 10 shifts from the state in which a telephone communication istried to the state in which a telephone communication is possible.

When it changes to the state in which a telephone communication ispossible, a sender sound picked up by a microphone 16 is subjected tomodulation processing by the telephone processing circuit 14 to emitfrom the antenna 12. The emitted sender sound is transmitted to acommunications terminal of an intended party. A receiver sound sent fromthe intended party is received by the antenna 12, and demodulated by thetelephone processing circuit 14. The demodulated receiver sound isoutput from the speaker 20 through the amplifier 18. When one talkerside performs an off-hook operation, the connection for telephonecommunication is shut down. The portable communication terminal 10shifts from the state in which a telephone communication is possible tothe state in which a telephone communication is impossible.

Furthermore, the telephone processing circuit 14 realizes acommunication function for communicating with servers (not illustrated)on the Internet in cooperation with the mobile communication system.

However, the portable communication terminal 10 also functions as aremote controller for controlling electronic appliances by infrared raysat the place registered in advance like an own house. Whether or not apresent location is the registered place is determined with reference toa PN (Pseudo Noise: pseudo noise) signal. For identifying the electronicappliances, an IC tag and an IC tag reader are utilized.

Here, the PN signal is a signal transmitted from a base station for amobile communication system, and the value (frequency) is different fromone base station from another. Furthermore, the strength of the detectedPN signal is attenuated as the present location is away from the basestation. Here, out of the detected PN signals, one having strength lessthan a threshold value is eliminated, and the values of the rest of thePN signals, that is, the values of the PN signals having strength equalto or more than the threshold value (hereinafter referred to as “PNvalue”) is utilized for location determination.

First, with respect to the location determining function, the CPU 26periodically executes PN detection processing for detecting a PN signal.When a PN registering operation is executed via the operation panel 36at a certain place, the CPU 26 registers the PN value detected at thattime in a register 30 r formed in a flash memory 30. From that timeonward, a PN value periodically detected and the PN value registered inthe register 30 r are compared with each other to thereby determinewhether the present location matches with the registered location.

More specifically, with reference to FIG. 4, within an area E1 includingan own house H1 and a friend's house H2, four base stations ST1-ST4exist. The base stations ST1-ST4 are respectively assigned “18”, “21”,“22” and “25” as PN values. If the portable communication terminal 10locates at the own house H1, the result of the PN detection is as shownin FIG. 5 (A), that is, respective values (PN) and intensities of fourPN signals can be obtained. If the portable communication terminal 10locates at the friend's house H2, the result of the PN detection is asshown in FIG. 5 (B).

It should be noted that the result of the PN detection is temporarilyheld in the RAM 28, and overwritten with a new detection result. As aresult, the latest PN value is always held in the RAM 28.

When a PN registering operation is performed at the own house H1, theCPU 26 abandons the PN having strength less than the threshold value(=3), that is, “18” out of the four PNs shown in FIG. 5 (A), and therest of three PNs, that is, “21”, “25” and “22” are registered in theregister 30 r as PN values “PN1” at the own house H1 (see FIG. 3).

From that time onward, the CPU 26 determines the latest PN value in theRAM 28 and the PN value in the register 30 r match with each other everytime a remote control mode is selected, and activates a remote controlfunction when it is determined that they match with each other. Thematch here means that the combination of the PN values between the RAM28 and the register 30 r are completely equal, that is, any PN values inthe RAM 28 exist in the register 30 r, and any PN values in the register30 r exist in the RAM 28.

Accordingly, when the remote control mode is selected in the own houseH1, the PN match (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 (A)) is determined to activatethe remote control function. On the other hand, when the remote controlmode is selected in the friend's house H2, “18” out of the “18”, “21”and “22” in the RAM 28 does not exist in the register 30 r, andtherefore, a PN mismatch (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 (B)) is determined notto activate the remote control function.

Next, as to the remote control function, the portable communicationterminal 10 further includes an infrared ray receiving and emittingcircuit 38 for emitting and receiving infrared ray, and an IC tag reader32 for reading identification information from an IC tag integrated inan electronic appliance. Meanwhile, an electronic appliance to becontrolled have to be furnished with similar infrared ray receiving andemitting circuit and an IC tag storing identification information(manufacture name, model name, model number, etc.) of the appliance. Theconfiguration of a television as one example of such an appliance isshown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 2, a television 50 is provided with an infrared rayreceiving and emitting circuit 62 and an IC tag 66. The IC tag 66includes a ROM 66 a. The ROM 66 a stores identification information ofthe television 50. When receiving a request signal from the IC tagreader 32 via an antenna 66 c, a transceiver circuit 66 b transmits theidentification information stored in the ROM 66 a from the antenna 66 cto the IC tag reader 32. The transmitted identification information isreceived by the IC tag reader 32 through the antenna 34. Additionally,the remote control function is suspended when a main power supply of thetelevision 50 is in an off state, but the IC tag 66 works when the mainpower supply of the television 50 is in the off state.

The IC tag reader 32 thus reads the identification information from theIC tag 66, and whereby, the CPU 26 of the portable communicationterminal 10 can sends a remote control signal (infrared code) complyingwith the television 50. The infrared ray receiving and emitting circuit62 applies the infrared code transmitted from the portable communicationterminal 10 to the CPU 60. The CPU 60 sends a response signal backthrough the infrared ray receiving and emitting circuit 62, and appliesa command corresponding to the applied infrared code to a tuner 54.

The response signal sent back from the infrared ray receiving andemitting circuit 62 is received by the infrared ray receiving andemitting circuit 38, and applied to the CPU 26. If a response signal isnot received directly after the infrared code is transmitted (within onesecond, for example), the CPU 26 of the portable communication terminalexcludes the television 50 from an object to be controlled.

The tuner 54 selects a channel instructed by the CPU 60, and applies abroadcast signal of the selected channel in the signal processingcircuit 56. The signal processing circuit 56 converts the appliedbroadcast signal into a program video signal and a program sound signal,and adjusts the level of the program sound signal according to theinstruction from the CPU 26. The program video signal and the programsound signal are output to the TV monitor 58.

A description is made on how to remotely control the television 50 byoperating the portable communication terminal 10 at the own house H1.With reference to FIG. 6, a lighting 80 and an air conditioning 82 areset in addition to the television 50 at the own house H1. Each of thelighting 80 and the air conditioning 82 has an IC tag, and may also bean object to be controlled by the portable communication terminal 10. Itshould be noted that the air conditioning 82 cannot send and receive aninfrared code when the main power supply is in an off state.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, when an operation of calling a main menuscreen is performed via the operation panel 36 of the portablecommunication terminal 10, a main menu screen shown in FIG. 7 (A) isdisplayed on the LCD monitor 24. When “remote control” is here selectedon the operation panel 36, it is determined whether or not a PNregistration has already been made. If the registration has not yet beenmade, a PN registration guiding screen is displayed on the LCD monitor24 as shown in FIG. 7 (B).

When “YES” is selected on the PN registration guiding screen, appliancedetecting processing is executed. In the appliance detecting processing,the IC tag reader 32 first transmits a request signal for requesting theIC tag 66 to transmit the identification information. If an appliancewith the IC tag 66 exists within a reachable area of the request signal,the IC tag reader 32 can receive attribute information sent from the ICtag 66.

When the identification information is received by the IC tag reader 32,the CPU 26 registers the received identification information in theappliance list of the RAM 28 (see FIG. 8). Then, a remote controlapplication corresponding to the registered identification informationis activated. In FIG. 6 example, the television 50, the lighting 80 andthe air conditioning 82 are detected, and remote control applicationsrespectively corresponding to these three appliances are activated. Itshould be noted that if no corresponding remote control application isstored in the flash memory 30, a communication function is activated soas to execute processing for downloading a corresponding remote controlapplication from the Internet.

Next, the CPU 26 sends test signals through the infrared ray receivingand emitting circuit 38. Each of the television 50 and lighting 80receives the test signal, and sends a response signal back. The CPU 26excludes the air conditioning 82 from the object to be controlled, anddisplays a remote controllable appliance list screen shown in FIG. 9 (A)on the LCD monitor 24. The screen shown in FIG. 9 (A) includes threetabs respectively corresponding to the television 50, the lighting 80,and the air conditioning 82. The “air conditioning” is not controllableout of them at this point, and translucently displayed.

When a channel selection operation and a volume adjustment operation areperformed via the operation panel 36 in a state that “TV” is selected onthe remote controllable appliance list screen, an infrared codeaccording to the operation is transmitted by the television remotecontrol application. The transmitted infrared code is received by thetelevision 50, and the television 50 executes processing correspondingto the infrared code, that is, channel selection processing and volumeadjustment processing.

After the PN registration is performed at the own house H1 as in theabove-described manner, when a remote control mode is selected at theown house H1, the screen shown in FIG. 9 (A) is immediately displayed toallow execution of a desired remote control operation.

The operation of the portable communication terminal 10 at the friend'shouse H2 is what follows. Referring to FIG. 6 (B), a television 84, avideo 86 and an air conditioning 88 are set in the friend's house H2.Any appliances have IC tags 66, and can be objects to be controlled bythe portable communication terminal 10.

When a remote control mode is selected at the friend's house H2, a PNregistration has not yet been performed at the friend's house H2, a PNregistration guiding screen shown in FIG. 7 (B) is first displayed. If“NO” is selected here, the screen shown in FIG. 7 (B) is updated with astandby screen shown in FIG. 9 (B). That is, unless a PN registration isnot made at the friend's house H2, it is impossible to utilize a remotecontrol function at the friend's house H2. This makes it possible toactivate the remote control function in the place except for the ownhouse.

Additionally, if the remote control function is desired to be used evenin the friend's house H2, this can be made by performing the PNregistration at friend's house H2 with the friend's approval. That is,if “YES” is selected on the screen shown in FIG. 7(B), “18”, “21” and“22” are further registered in the register 30 r as PN values “PN2” atthe friend's house H2. Next, the appliance detecting processing isexecuted to activate a remote control application corresponding to thedetected appliance, and a remote controllable appliance list screensimilar to FIG. 9 (A) is displayed. The screen includes three tabsrespectively corresponding to the television 84, the video 86 and theair conditioning 88, that is, “television”, “video” and “airconditioning”. Then, test signals are transmitted to determine whetheror not a remote control is possible depending on the presence or absenceof the response. The tab of the appliance which is determined to beuncontrollable is displayed translucently. A user can perform a remotecontrol operation on the remote controllable appliance list screen to adesired appliance. If the PN registration is performed at the friend'shouse H2, by merely selecting the remote control mode at the friend'shouse H2, it is possible to immediately perform a remote controloperation from that time onward.

With respect to the above-mentioned remote control function, the CPU 26of the portable communication terminal 10 executes a PN detecting taskshown in FIG. 10, a flag (.alpha.) controlling task shown in FIG. 11, amain task (remote control mode) shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, and aremote control application (television remote control application,lighting remote control application, etc.) shown in FIG. 14 undercontrol of the multitasking OS like .mu.ITRON, etc. It should be notedthat the remote control application is activated by the number the sameas that of the detected electronic appliances. Meanwhile, the CPU ofeach electronic appliance, such as the CPU 60 of the television 50executes a remote control processing task shown in FIG. 15.

It should be noted that the PN detecting task is in an activated stateas long as the power source is turned on. The flag (.alpha.) controllingtask and the main task are activated when the remote control mode isselected, and are ended when other modes are selected or when the powersource is turned off. The remote control application is activated by themain task, and is ended when a mode except for the remote control modeis selected or when the power source is turned off.

Meanwhile, the remote control processing task of the electronicappliance is always in an activated state when the main power supply ofthe electronic appliance is in an on state.

Furthermore, the control program according to the flowchart shown inFIG. 10-FIG. 13 is stored in the flash memory 30. The program accordingto the flowchart in FIG. 15 is stored in the ROM 64.

First, with reference to FIG. 10, in a step S1, a plurality of PNsignals respectively transmitted from a plurality of base stations(ST1-ST4: see FIG. 4) through the telephone processing circuit 14 aredetected. In a step S3, a detection result (PN information) is held inthe RAM 28 (see FIG. 5 (A) and FIG. 5 (B)). In a step S5, it isdetermined whether or not a predetermined time (one second, for example)elapses from the preceding PN detection, and if “YES”, the processreturns to the step S1.

Referring to FIG. 11, in a step S11, a PN value having strength equal toor more than a threshold value (=3) is obtained from the RAM 28. Forexample, when the PN information shown in FIG. 5 (A) is held in the RAM28, “21”, “25” and “22” are obtained as PN values.

In a step S13, it is determined whether or not the obtained PN valuesmatch with the PN values registered in the register 30 r. The match heremeans the combination of the PN values in the register 30 r and thecombination of the PN values obtained from the RAM 28 are completelyequal to each other. Accordingly, if no PN value is registered in theregister 30 r, it is determined to be a mismatch. Furthermore, assumingthat “PN1=21, 25 and 22” are registered in the register 30 r (see FIG.3), if the obtained PN value is “21”, “25” and “22” (see FIG. 5 (A)), amatch is determined. If the obtained PN value is “18”, “21” and “22”(see FIG. 5 (B)), a mismatch is determined.

If “YES” is determined in the step S13, the process proceeds to a stepS15, and “TRUE” is set to a flag .alpha. If “NO” in the step S13, theprocess proceeds to a step S17 to set “FALSE” in the flag .alpha. Aftersetting, the process proceeds to a step S19. In the step S19, it isdetermined whether or not a predetermined time period (5 seconds, forexample) elapses from the preceding PN obtaining, and if “YES” isdetermined, the process returns to the step S11.

With reference to FIG. 12, in a step S31, it is determined whether ornot a PN value is registered in the register 30 r, and if “NO”, theprocess proceeds to a step S35. If “YES” in the step S31, it isdetermined whether or not the flag .alpha. is “TRUE” in a step S33, andif “YES” here, the process proceeds to a step S47. If .alpha.=FALSE,“NO” is determined in the step S33, and the process proceeds to the stepS35.

In the step S35, the character generator 22 is instructed to display aPN registration guiding screen. In response thereto, the charactergenerator 22 displays the PN registration guiding screen on the LCDmonitor 24 (see FIG. 7 (B)). Then, in steps S37 and S39, it isdetermined whether or not the PN registration is performed. When “NO” isselected on the PN registration guiding screen according to an operationvia the operation panel 36, the process proceeds to a step S41 instructthe character generator 22 to display a standby screen. In responsethereto, the character generator 22 displays a standby screen on the LCDmonitor 24 (see FIG. 9 (B)). Then, the task itself (remote control mode)is ended.

On the other hand, if “YES” is selected, a PN value having strengthequal to or more than the threshold value (=3) is obtained from the RAM28 in a step S43, and the obtained PN value is registered in theregister 30 r in a step S45 (see FIG. 3). Then, the process proceeds toa step S47.

In the step S47, appliance detecting processing is executed. In theappliance detecting processing, the IC tag reader 32 is instructed totransmit a request signal for requesting the IC tag 66 to send theidentification information back. When the identification information isreceived by the IC tag reader 32, the received identificationinformation is registered in the appliance list within the RAM 28 (seeFIG. 8).

In a step S49, it is determined whether or not a remote controlapplication corresponding to the detected appliance exists in the flashmemory 30, and if “YES”, the process proceeds to a step S53. If it isnot a corresponding remote control application, application downloadprocessing is executed in a step S51. In the application downloadprocessing, a connection processing to the Internet is executed bycooperating the telephone processing circuit 14 and the networkcontroller (not shown) to access a server offering the correspondingremote control application, and to download the corresponding remotecontrol application from the server to the flash memory 30. Afterdownloading, the process proceeds to the step S53.

In the step S53, the corresponding remote control application isactivated. When the present location is at the own house H1 (see FIG. 6(A)), and the television 50, the lighting 80 and the air conditioning 82are detected, and a television remote control application, a lightingremote control application, and an air conditioning remote controlapplication are activated. After activating, the process proceeds to astep S55.

Referring to FIG. 13, in the step S55, a translucent flag is reset. Thereset is directed to all the appliances registered in the appliancelist. In a step S57, test signals are transmitted through the infraredray receiving and emitting circuit 38. The transmission is also directedto all the appliances. In a step S59, the presence or absence of theappliance which does not respond to the test signal is determined. If“NO” here, the process proceeds to a step S63. If “YES” in the step S59,that is, if there is an appliance which does not respond to the testsignal, the process proceeds to a step S61 to set a translucent flag tothe no-responsive appliance (see FIG. 8). Then, the process proceeds tothe step S63.

In the step S63, the character generator 22 is instructed to display theremote controllable appliance list screen corresponding to the appliancelist. In response thereto, the character generator 22 displays a remotecontrollable appliance list screen on the LCD monitor 24 (see FIG. 9(A)). On the screen, a tab corresponding to the appliance to which thetranslucent flag is set is made translucent. Thus, if test signals aretransmitted to all the appliances to thereby confirm an appliance whichdoes not respond to the signal, the tab of the appliance is madetranslucent to thereby allow the user to immediately confirm that theappliance cannot be operated by remote control. Consequently, it ispossible to decrease a useless remote control operation.

After completion of the display instruction, the process proceeds to aloop in the steps S65 and S67. During displaying the screen shown inFIG. 9 (A), by the remote control application of a desired appliance(appliance “i”) out of the remote control applications activated in thestep S53, acceptance of a remote control operation and transmission of aremote control signal are executed. In the step S65, it is determinedwhether or not a remote control signal (infrared code for the appliancei) to be directed to the appliance “i” is transmitted, and in the stepS67, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time (ten seconds,for example) elapses from the transmission of the preceding test signal.

If transmission of the remote control signal is executed by the remotecontrol application for the appliance “i” (see FIG. 14), “YES” isdetermined in the step S65, and the process proceeds to a loop in stepsS69 and S71. In the step S69, the presence or absences of a responsesignal from the appliance “i” is determined, and in the step S71, it isdetermined whether or not a predetermined time (one second, for example)elapses from the transmission of the remote control signal. If “YES” inthe step S69, the process returns to the loop in the steps S65 and S67.

If “YES” in the step S71, the process proceeds to a step S73 to set thetranslucent flag in the appliance “i”. Then, the process returns to thestep S63. Noted that in the current step S63, the translucent flag isset to the appliance “i”, so that the tab of the appliance “i” withinthe remote controllable appliance list screen is translucentlydisplayed.

Thus, the presence or absence of a response to a remote control signalis confirmed to each appliance, and if no response is transmitted froman appliance, the tab of the appliance is made translucent to therebyallow the user to immediately confirm that the remote control operationof the appliance is made impossible. Consequently, a useless remotecontrol operation can be reduced.

Referring to FIG. 14, in a step S81, it is determined whether or not theappliance “i” is being selected on the remote controllable appliancelist screen (see FIG. 9 (A)), and if it is selected, the presence orabsence of a remote control operation is determined in a step S83. If aremote control operation is performed via the operation panel 36, “YES”is determined in the step S83, and the process proceeds to a step S85.In the step S85, a remote control signal corresponding to the performedremote control operation is transmitted through the infrared rayreceiving and emitting circuit 38. Then, the process returns to the stepS81.

Referring to FIG. 15, in the appliance “i” to be remotely controlled bythe portable communication terminal 10, the CPU 60 determines thepresence or absence of a remote control signal or a test signal. When aremote control signal or a test signal is received through the infraredray receiving and emitting circuit 62, the process proceeds to a stepS93 to send a response signal through the infrared ray receiving andemitting circuit 62 back. In a step S95, the processing corresponding tothe received remote control signal is executed, and then, the processreturns to a step S91.

As understood from the foregoing, in this embodiment, the CPU 26receives four PN signals transmitted from four base stations ST1, ST2,ST3 and ST4 through the telephone processing circuit 14, andperiodically detects a present location of the portable communicationterminal 10 on the basis of the received four PN signals (S1, S3, S5).

When a registering operation is accepted via the operation panel 36, thedetected location is registered in the register 30 r (see FIG. 3) (S45).When a remote control starting operation is accepted via the operationpanel 36 after registration, it is determined that whether or not thedetected location and the registered location match with each other(S13), and detects an electronic appliance (50, 80, 82, . . . ) (S47)when the determination result is affirmative. A remote control signal istransmitted to any of the electronic appliances thus detected throughthe infrared ray receiving and emitting circuit 38.

Accordingly, only when the portable communication terminal 10 exists inthe registered location, it can detect an electronic appliance, capableof properly restricting an object to be remotely controlled by theportable communication terminal 10.

Furthermore, the CPU 26 changes translucency of respective characters asshown in FIG. 9 (A) depending on the presence or absence of a responseto test signals, that is, the possibility or impossibility of beingremotely controlled by the portable communication terminal 10 (S59, S61,S63) when displaying a plurality of characters respectivelycorresponding to the detected plurality of electronic appliances on theLCD monitor 24. This makes it possible to know which one can be remotelycontrolled now out of the detected plurality of electronic appliances,that is, the plurality of appliances to be remotely controlled.Consequently, it is possible to select a desired appliance from theelectronic appliances remotely controllable now.

The determination whether or not the appliance can be remotelycontrolled is performed on all the detected electronic appliances at atime and periodically by transmitting test signals, and, every time thata remote control signal is transmitted, is performed on an electronicappliance as a destination of the signal.

It should be noted that in this embodiment, a present location isdetected by utilizing a plurality of PN signals respectively transmittedfrom a plurality of base stations. However, it is possible to performposition detection by utilizing other signals like a plurality of GPSsignals respectively transmitted from a plurality of GPS (GlobalPositioning System) satellites.

Furthermore, whether or not the detected location and the registeredlocation match with each other is determined whether or not thecombinations of the PN values match between the RAM 28 and the register30 r, but it may be determined whether or not the order of PN values arecompletely match between the RAM 28 and the register 30 r.

Another embodiment of the present invention is described below withreference to FIG. 16-FIG. 30. It should be noted that FIG. 16-FIG. 30correspond to FIG. 1-FIG. 15. The embodiment is different from theafore-stated embodiment from the following points. The portablecommunication terminal 10 has a wireless LAN (Local Area Network)function, and the base station (ST1, ST2, . . . ) is a wireless LANaccess point. The wireless LAN access point is assigned an MAC (MediaAccess Control) address, and the MAC address is repeatedly transmittedfrom the wireless LAN access point. Here, the portable communicationterminal 10 uses an MAC address as identification information of a basestation.

The embodiment is similar to the afore-stated embodiment except forthese points, a duplicated description is omitted, and only thedifferences are described in detail. Referring to FIG. 16, a wirelessLAN function is added to a telephone processing circuit 14. Meanwhile,as shown in FIG. 19, wireless LAN access points (base station ST1, ST2,. . . ) are further provided at the own house H1, the friend's house H2,etc.

The telephone processing circuit 14 connects a CPU 26 to the Internetthrough the wireless LAN access points, which realizes an IP (InternetProtocol) telephone. A CPU 60 determines whether or not a presentlocation is the registered location with reference to MAC addressesrepeatedly transmitted from the wireless LAN access points.

The strength of the signal including an MAC address (hereafter, calledan “ID signal”) is attenuated as the present location is away from awireless LAN access point. Here, the signal having strength less than athreshold value out of the detected signals is excluded, and an MACaddress (this may appropriately called “ID”) included in the rest of theID signal, that is, the ID signal having strength equal to or more thanthe threshold value is utilized for identification of the location.

First, as to the location determining function, the CPU 26 periodicallyexecutes ID detection processing for detecting an ID signal. When an IDregistering operation is performed via an operation panel 36 at acertain place (see FIG. 22 (A) and FIG. 22 (B)), the CPU 26 registersthe ID detected at that time in a register 30 r formed in a flash memory30. From that time onward, by comparing an ID periodically detected andthe IDs which has been registered in the register 30 r, it is possibleto determine at any time whether or not the present location matcheswith the registered place.

More specifically, with reference to FIG. 19, at an area E1 including anown house H1 and a friend's house H2, four wireless LAN access points(base stations ST1-ST4) exist. The base stations ST1-ST4 arerespectively assigned “18”, “21”, “22” and “25” as MAC addresses (ID).If the portable communication terminal 10 is placed at the own house H1,the result shown in FIG. 20 (A) can be obtained by of the ID detection.If the portable communication terminal 10 exists in the friend's houseH2, the result of the ID detection is shown in FIG. 20 (B).

When an ID registering operation is performed at the own house H1, theCPU 26 abandons the ID having strength less than a threshold value (=3)out of four IDs shown in FIG. 20 (A), that is, “18”, and registers therest of three IDs, that is, “21”, “25” and “22” as an ID “ID1” at theown house H1 in the register 30 r (see FIG. 18).

From that time onward, the CPU 26 determines whether or not the latestID in the RAM 28 and the IDs in the register 30 r match with each otherevery time the remote control mode is selected, and activates a remotecontrol function when it is determined to be a match.

Referring to FIG. 17, a television 50 is configured similar to that inFIG. 2, and performs a similar operation. The process for remotelycontrolling the television 50 by operating the portable communicationterminal 10 at the own house H1 is similar to that in the afore-statedembodiment (see FIG. 21 (A), FIG. 21 (B), FIG. 22 (A), FIG. 22 (B), FIG.23, FIG. 24 (A) and FIG. 24 (B)).

The CPU 26 of the portable communication terminal 10 executes inparallel an ID detection task shown in FIG. 25, a flag (.alpha.)controlling task shown in FIG. 26, a main task (remote control mode)shown in FIG. 27 and FIG. 28, and a remote control application shown inFIG. 29.

Referring to FIG. 25, in a step S1, a plurality of ID signalsrespectively transmitted from a plurality of wireless LAN access points(see ST1-ST4: FIG. 19) through the telephone processing circuit 14 aredetected. The process onward is similar to that in the afore-mentionedembodiment (see FIG. 10).

Referring to FIG. 26, in a step S11, the ID having strength equal to ormore than the threshold value (=3) is obtained from the RAM 28. In astep S13, it is determined whether or not the obtained ID matches withthe ID which has been registered in the register 30 r. The successiveprocessing is similar to that in the afore-mentioned embodiment (seeFIG. 11).

Referring to FIG. 27 and FIG. 28, in a step S31, it is determinedwhether or not an ID is registered in the register 30 r, and if “NO”,the process proceeds to a step S35. If “YES” in the step S31, it isdetermined whether or not the flag .alpha. is “TRUE” in a step S33, andif “YES” here, the process proceeds to a step S47. If .alpha.=FALSE,“NO” is determined in the step S33, and the process proceeds to the stepS35.

In the step S35, a character generator 22 is instructed to display an IDregistration guiding screen. In response thereto, the charactergenerator 22 displays an ID registration guiding screen on the LCDmonitor 24 (see FIG. 22 (B)). Then, in steps S37 and S39, it isdetermined whether or not an ID registration is performed. When “NO” isselected on the ID registration guiding screen through an operation ofthe operation panel 36, the process proceeds to a step S41 to instructthe character generator 22 to display a standby screen: In responsethereto, the character generator 22 displays a standby screen on the LCDmonitor 24 (see FIG. 24 (B)). Then, the task itself (remote controlmode) is ended.

On the other hand, if “YES” is selected, the ID having strength equal toor more than the threshold value (=3) is obtained from the RAM 28 in astep S43, and the obtained ID is registered in the register 30 r (seeFIG. 18) in a step S45. The process onward is similar to that in theafore-mentioned embodiment (see FIG. 12 and FIG. 13).

The process in FIG. 29 is similar to that in the afore-stated embodiment(see FIG. 14).

A CPU of each electronic appliance, like the CPU 60 of the television50, for example, executes a remote control processing task shown in FIG.30. The processing in FIG. 30 is similar to that in the afore-statedembodiment (see FIG. 15).

According to the present invention, similar to the afore-mentionedembodiment, the portable communication terminal 10 detects an electronicappliance only when it exists in the registered location, so that it ispossible to appropriately control the object to be remotely controlledby the portable communication terminal 10.

Although provided that a wireless LAN is constructed at the house inthis embodiment unlikely to the afore-stated embodiment, a narrowreachable range of an ID signal transmitted from the wireless LAN accesspoint allows more accurate determination whether or not the presentlocation is the registered location.

It should be noted that in this embodiment, an MAC address is used asidentification information (ID) for identifying a wireless LAN accesspoint (base station), other identification information such as a SSID(Service Set Identifier), etc. may be used. Or, an ESSID (ExtendedService Set Identifier) including a plurality of wireless LAN accesspoints for identifying a wireless LAN may be used.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated indetail, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustrationand example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the spiritand scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms ofthe appended claims.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A portable communication terminal capable ofspecifying a location of said portable communication terminal byreceiving respective identification information of a plurality of basestations, comprising: a communicator operable to executes communicationprocessing with the plurality of base stations; an information detectoroperable to detects the respective identification information of theplurality of base stations which are able to be communicated with bysaid communicator; a register operable to registers the respectiveidentification information detected by said information detector; adeterminer operable to determine at an arbitrary location whether or nota match condition is satisfied between the respective identificationinformation detected by said information detector at the arbitrarylocation and identification information registered by said register; anappliance detector operable to detects an electronic appliance existingaround the location where a determination result by said determiner isaffirmative; and a display operable to displays an operation screen toremotely control the electronic appliance detected by said appliancedetector
 22. A portable communication terminal according to claim 21,wherein said base station repeatedly sends a PN signal, and saidinformation detector notes the PN signal sent from said base station.23. A portable communication terminal according to claim 21, whereinsaid base station repeatedly sends an identification signal includingthe identification information of said base station, and saidinformation detector notes the identification signal sent from said basestation.
 24. A portable communication terminal according to claim 23,wherein said base station is a wireless LAN access point, and saididentification signal includes an MAC address assigned to said wirelessLAN access point.
 25. A portable communication terminal according toclaim 21, wherein said electronic appliance has a wireless tag storingappliance identification information, and said appliance detectorincludes a reader for reading the appliance identification informationstored in said wireless tag.
 26. A portable communication terminalaccording to claim 21, further comprising: a creator which creates acontrol signal adapting to the electronic appliance detected by saidappliance detector; a transmitter which transmits the control signalcreated by said creator to a processor of the electronic appliancedetected by said appliance detector; and a responding appliance detectorwhich detects an electronic appliance responding to the control signaltransmitted by said transmitter, wherein said display changes a displaymanner of said operation screen according to a detection result of saidresponding appliance detector.
 27. A portable communication terminalaccording to claim 26, wherein said transmitter repeatedly sends saidcontrol signal.
 28. A portable communication terminal according to claim26, further comprising an acquirer operable to acquires appliancecontrol information to remotely control an electronic appliance detectedby said appliance detector by utilizing said communicator, wherein saidcreator creates said control signal on the basis of the appliancecontrol information acquired by said acquirer.
 29. A recording mediumrecording an appliance control program, wherein said appliance controlprogram causes a processor of a portable communication terminal having acommunicator for executing communication processing with a plurality ofbase station to execute following steps of: an information detectingstep which detects identification information of a plurality of basestation which is able to be communicated by said communicator; aregistering step which registers the identification information detectedby said information detecting step at a specific location; a determiningstep which determines at an arbitrary location whether or not a matchcondition is satisfied between the identification information detectedby said information detecting step at the arbitrary location and theidentification information registered by said registering step; anappliance detecting step which detects an electronic appliance existingaround the location wherein a determination result by said determiningstep is affirmative; and a displaying step which displays an operationscreen to remotely control the electronic appliance detected by saidappliance detecting step.
 30. An appliance controlling method for aportable communication terminal having a communicator to performcommunication processing with a plurality of base station, comprising:an information detecting step which detects identification informationof a plurality of base station which is able to be communicated by saidcommunicator; a registering step which registers the identificationinformation detected by said information detecting step at a specificlocation; a determining step which determines at an arbitrary locationwhether or not a match condition is satisfied between the identificationinformation detected by said information detecting step at the arbitrarylocation and the identification information registered by saidregistering step; an appliance detecting step which detects anelectronic appliance existing around the location where a determinationresult by said determining step is affirmative; and a displaying stepwhich displays an operation screen to remotely control the electronicappliance detected by said appliance detecting step.